We don’t have an official sign up for summer sessions but if you’re free any school day from 11:15-12:05 (not even an hour! C’mon ya know you wanna!) then just come to school, sign in and ask the yard/lunchroom staff how you can be of help. They love it!

Planning on being there anyway with your little one? Once your child is settled ask the staff if they need anything. It’s easy and fun!

These little sweethearts are getting used to a big school and really need our smiling faces to let them know they have support when they need it.

Here’s that link again to sign-ups for the regular school year for those that may have missed it and thanks to those who have already signed up!

We’re using VolunteerSpot (the leading online signup and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming activity.

Please sign up for Argonne Lunch/Recess Help!

Here’s how it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot
2. Enter your email address. (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots – VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact Alyssa Miller and she will sign you up manually.

Sign-ups for Count-Me In Parties are officially open today. You can register here for one of these Teacher-donated parties offered through April and May. All proceeds benefit Argonne’s amazing programs. The first party is coming up this week:

There are two Argonne Elementary Google groups open to parents. read below for an explanation of each and how to sign up.

news@argonnesf.org!
This list will be used for official communication from Argonne Elementary School administration, Argonne PTO, and Tuesday newsletters. All messages will be moderated. If you have a question for the Argonne community, please email community@argonnesf.org list; this list is for official school news only.

community@argonnesf.org!
This list is open to the entire Argonne Community. This is the right place to ask questions about dentist recommendations, or to discuss the parking situation around the school, etc. All messages to the list will be moderated to make sure there are no inappropriate or offensive postings.

>>> Why do we need two mailing lists?
We’d like to separate official school communications from discussions of the general Argonne community to make sure that everyone pays appropriate attention to official school news. We’re adding you to both lists; at least one parent from each Argonne family needs to stay on news@argonnesf.org list.

>>>Will I get spam?
NO! All messages to news@argonnesf.org will be moderated, so spam will simply not go through.

This year the fair is Saturday, April 18, 2015. Fair tickets & bracelets, as well as raffle tickets, will be available online and at the school in early spring 2015. Be sure to check the website for monthly updates, where you’ll discover what new adventures are coming to the Fair in 2015!

Now it’s easier than ever to donate to Argonne’s Giving Letter Campaign. Click on the PayPal link below to be directed to the PayPal site where you can fill in the amount you wish to donate. You do NOT need a PayPal account to donate this way.

I am so happy to welcome our families and staff to the 2014–2015 school year, and I especially want to welcome our new families. I hope you enjoyed your summer vacation and look forward to hearing your summertime stories. My family and I spent time visiting with family and friends on the East Coast. Our son, Raiden, loved hanging out with cousins, playing dominos, riding the New Jersey Transit, and admiring the sculptures at the Storm King Art Center.

Please join me in welcoming new staff to our community. Ms. Amy Gast will teach fourth grade this year in Room 304. Many of you know Ms. Gast as she has served our community as a parent, student teacher, and substitute teacher. Ms. Meredith Smith will leave her position as a reading teacher and continue to support students as our 0.5 Resource Specialist Program (RSP)/Special Education teacher. Ms. Meredith will work full-time the last two weeks of summer session and then on Tuesday, Thursday, and Fridays during the regular session. Ms. Angela True will teach David Lopez’s class while he in on leave. Prior to student and substitute teaching at Argonne, Ms. True supported families as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

Please mark your calendars for the following events. On Friday, August 1st, the Argonne Elementary community will host our third annual walk-a-thon. Please plan on participating/volunteering for this amazing community event. Also, all families are invited to attend our Kickoff Assembly on Tuesday, August 19th from 1:00-1:45 PM in the Multipurpose Room. Come meet staff and community leaders and celebrate the beginning of the year.

We look forward to working with you this year. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher if you have questions/concerns. You may also contact me at 415.750.8460 and/or okuboc@sfusd.edu.

Click on the photos to see more from our Lunar New Year Celebration on February 7, 2014

The program has been designed to offer children the opportunity to develop proficiency in Chinese as a second language and enrich with the understanding and appreciation of Chinese language, customs, and cultures.

The Argonne Chinese After School Program was founded and established by parents in 1999. The program provides the Argonne community with an opportunity to learn Chinese language and culture. The program operates within guidelines set by the School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), a not-for-profit organization with the 501(c) (3) status.

Program Fees

Teachers may ask for additional supplies to be contributed from families for their child(ren).

(Program fees are reviewed annually and subject to change.)

Program Calendar

The program operates on the same extended year calendar as Argonne Elementary. Summer session is open to grades 1-5 only. Please contact any program officer for more information.

Donations

As the program is entirely non-profit, collected program fees are determined by the teacher’s salaries, liability insurance and supplies only. Any contribution is welcomed and much needed to further enrich program curriculum and special projects. Please contact any program officer for more information or to make a donation.

PTO

One of the amazing assets that Argonne has is its parents and our community. We are so grateful to have a thriving and involved group of parents helping lead initiatives at our school. We ask you to join us!!!

To get involved email us! We can help you discover the right role for you.

Our parent leadership is what keeps our community strong and allows us to continuously improve the education we deliver to our kids. We are extremely fortunate to have so many parents that help out in all aspects of our school. Argonne’s parent involvement has increased our fundraising capability, and allows us to to provide our children with the extracurricular programming and special academic support they deserve. Most importantly it defines the culture of our school community as one that works together to achieve our goals.

Thank you to all of you who are involved and bring so much energy and talent to our school. We encourage new parents and anyone who has not yet been able to participate to join us! We have a lot of fun and enjoy our success in working together.

PTO OPPORTUNITIES

Each year we welcome additional parents to join us and become more involved our PTO. The PTO is seeking people who are willing to train in the following areas to support our organization:

Communications — We want to make sure we are communicating with each other effectively. This includes helping publish a weekly (mostly on-line) newsletter, managing our Argonne website, keeping family database up-to-date and other communication strategies.

Technology — We are working to better integrate our new computer lab and technology with grade-level appropriate curriculum in the classroom. We are looking for parents with Macintosh administration skills to help on an ongoing basis to help the lab running smoothly

Fundraising/Resource Development — Join our parent volunteers who help us pursue grants, develop partnerships and fund-raise. This includes the giving letter, Mayfair and all the other new ideas we can deploy next year to increase our goals! We have a great crew that works tirelessly for our school, but they can always use an extra pair of hands….

Multi-Cultural Committee (ELAC) – Beyond advising the school in it’s English Language Acquisition Program, the Multi-Cultural Committee sponsors events that engage our diverse community. The Lunar New Year Celebration is one of Argonne’s favorite events.

Programming — We need committed parent volunteers willing to help us plan special programs and events.

Volunteer coordinating — Join our committed parent volunteer coordinators to help us recruit and track parent volunteers to make sure we leverage all the resources available and have us organized and ready for any activity that needs a pair of hands!

Green Argonne — Help out with our schoolyard initiative that includes beautification, greening, and providing healthy choices for our school.